Under 20,000 euros

Will VW’s low-cost electric car also come as a Skoda and Seat?

(Bild: Škoda)

VW has finally announced the launch of an affordable electric car that really deserves the name Volkswagen. Probably the same size as the VW up! It was also available as the Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii. This begs the question: will the VW ID.1 also have two siblings?

That would be too good to be true. Since Skoda in particular is generally cheaper than VW, a Czech offshoot of the smallest e-VW would have to be even cheaper than the promised "under 20,000 euros base price". But the price is probably precisely the reason why the VW ID.1 (if that is really its name) remains an only child.

Skoda pulls out of the project
According to a report in "Der Spiegel", the Czech sister company fears losses due to the low base price. VW's margin will also be low, although the brand can charge slightly higher prices than Skoda. The second high-volume sister company Seat is also not included. The Spaniards want to launch their own small e-car on the market next year at prices around 25,000 euros.

Rivian helps with the small VW
The Wolfsburg-based company is working with its American cooperation partner Rivian, which is co-developing the electronics architecture, on the model expected for 2027. The car is expected to be built at the VW plant in Palmela, Portugal. Previously, negotiations with Renault on a collaboration in the electric entry-level segment had failed; the French company will now launch its model, the Twingo, which also costs around 20,000 euros, on its own in 2026.

The brand plans to unveil a concept car at the beginning of March, which will give a preview of VW's smallest electric car. However, it will be around two years before the micro-car, probably called the ID.1, is available to buy.

The slightly larger ID.2, which costs around 5,000 euros, is due to be launched as early as 2026, and an electric T-Roc and an electric Golf have also been announced. Skoda is also expanding its range of electric cars, including the Epiq mini crossover expected for this year.